Just curious what some of you do for your horses feet. I have shoes on my boy right now and he slips alot. I tried to go barefoot once and he got an infection in one of his frogs. I'm guessing because he has been shod his whole life and then I come along and take the shoes off and he may have sensitive soles to do no exposure. I don't know. I wOuld love to go bare foot seeing that there is no really rough terrain here. But I'm scared to Seth to take him across a creek bed for fear that he will slip.

If your horse slips, ask your farrier about studded shoes. The studs are removable for when the terrain dries up.

I don't recommend studs or caulks for walkers. They glide those back feet in and studs would bring them to an abrupt halt which could lead to injury.

Goeing barefoot is getting to be more and more popular and will save you a small fortune in shoeing. But, it isnt for everyone or ever horse. Before going barefoot there are some things to know.

-If your horse has a medical issue, like navicular, you should talk to your vet and farrier first. Odds are shoes will help their condition.

-It can take anywhere from a few months to a 2yrs for a horses feet to get conditioned for going barefoot. If you really decide to do it, be prepared for patience.

-Get boots for your horses front feet. They help with transitioning to going barefoot. Keep those boots around even when your horse is doing well. Most are just fine on regular rock you run across on a trail but still are not comfortable on gravel. Boots will help anytime you need to go any distance down a graveled road or trail.

-Their feet will not look pretty with any amount of riding on rough terrain due to chipping. It's not hurting them any but if looks are important to you like it is some...lets just say you wouldn't be happy.

-Their feet will not look pretty with any amount of riding on rough terrain due to chipping. It's not hurting them any but if looks are important to you like it is some...lets just say you wouldn't be happy.

LOL....our mares are all barefoot and it drives me nuts when people comment that I need to have a farrier out NOW after seeing the chipping on their hooves.

Dreamer goes barefoot, however she is only ridden maybe once a week on a smooth trail, and she gets turnout in a dirt pen and sometimes is grazed.
Challenger has his front shoes, but no back shoes. He is ridden maybe once a week on the same smooth trail, turnout in dirt pen, and sometimes grazes. However, for some reason, he goes lame when he grazes too much, so he cannot be ridden now. It is not founder.. Just some odd habit he has.

If I only rode on smooth terrain, I might go barefoot.
I ride on rocks and I used to try to do the barefoot thing. The horses did not toughen up. They just stayed slightly lame half the time. I haven't even tried to ride the mare that I use now barefoot since she was old enough to ride out on trails. I don't plan to either. The rocks here are just too hard on them.

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